Insulated structural unit



y 1930- ROSENMILLER 1,766,211

INSULATED STRUCTURAL UNIT Filed Oct. 15, 1928 Patented May 27, 1930 STTES JOSEPH L. ROSENMILLER, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOE TO YORK E MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE INSULATED STRUCTURAL "UNIT Application filed October 15, 1928.

This invention relates to heat insulation and particularly to insulation of that type in which a fluent material, such as granular cork, is used to fill the space between confining walls. Structural elements of this general character are extensively used in refrigeraion.

l/Vhile granular cork is a very efiective insulator, it is subject to a serious defect in 1o that when subjected to long continued use,

particularly in movable elements, such as doors and the like, it gradually settles and compacts, with the result that an air space through which heat leakage occurs, is formed above the settling mass of cork.

The present invention overcomes this defeet by providing at the top of the space auxiliary insulation which extends down far enough to lap the descending mass of granular cork as this settles. In the preferred embodiment a sheet of cork board is used and so arranged that it forms a dip seal with the granular cork, but various approximately equivalent arrangements are possible and are within the scope of the invention. The invention greatly improves the eficiency of granular cork insulation, which, because it is relatively inexpensive, is highly desirable for many uses. This result is secured by the use of a minimum amount of relatively expensive cork board.

The invention will be disclosed as applied to a hinged door but it is equally applicable to various structural units such as walls, partitions, domestic refrigerators, and the like.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a doorway and door, the door being constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the upper portion of the door.

In the drawings portions of the frame work of the doorway are illustrated at 5 and 6. The

door is mounted on hinges, one of which is in-' dicated at 7. The door comprises a marginal frame made up of end members 8 and side members 9. This frame is sheathed on its front face by cross members 11 which are confined by a marginal facing made up of the members 12 and 13. The cross members 11 Serial No. 312,661.

have tongues which extend into grooves in the members 12 and 13, or any other equivalent construction might be adopted.-

The rear of the frame 8, 9, is sheathed with tongue and groove stock, indicated in Fig. 2 at 1.4. There is thus a space intervening between the members 11 and 13 on the one hand,

door clear to the top, but no matter how tightly the space is filled the cork will settle in the course of time, leaving a space at the top through which heat leakage occurs.

To overcome this difficulty I mount a sheet of corkboard 17, or equivalent solid insulating material, so that it projects down into the granulated cork 16 over the entire width of the cork filled space andfor a depth sufficient to insure that the granulated cork will not settle below the lower margin of the cork boardll. A convenient way of mounting the cork board is to set its upper edge ina groove formed. in the lower face of the top frame member 8 and then drive nails, one of which is indicated at 18, to engage the cork board and retain it in position. v p

By mounting the cork board in the middle of the filled space two relatively narrow air spaces, arecreated when the granulated cork settles. It is well known that two narrow spaces offer better insulation than one wide space of equivalent dimension, for the reason that convection currents are retarded. Hence I prefer the arrangement shown but I realize that the cork board 17 might be otherwise mounted and give approximately equivalent results. I regard itas advisable, however, for the best result, that the cork board should be in actual contact with the granulated cork.

'VVhile definite reference has been made to granulated cork and to cork board, because these are standard insulating materials for refrigerating uses, it is within the scope of the invention to substitute for the granular cork any fluent insulating material and to substitute for the cork board any suitable insulating material in sheet or board form, provided this have such physical properties as will enable it to maintain its form and accomplish the purposes for which it is used. I

While the door and its marginal frame are illustrated as constructed of wood, this is not essential.

What is claimed is,-

1. A heat insulating structural element comprising two spaced walls; a filling of fluent insulating material in the space between said walls; and a strip of sheet insulating material extending downward from the top of said element, terminating above the bottom of said element, and forming a dip seal with the fluent material atthe top thereof.

2.. The combination with a heat insulating structural element of the type including tWo spaced walls and a'filling of fluent insulating material, of a strip of solid insulating material extending downward from the top of said element, terminating above the bottom of said element, lapping the upper portion of the fluent material and arranged to maintain contact therewith regardless of settling of the fluent material.

3. A heat insulating structural element comprising a cellular unit substantially filled with fluent insulating material, said unit having a layer of solid insulation projecting from the to downward beyond the, lowest line of proba le settling of the fluent material, and terminating a short distance below said line.

4. A structural unit comprising a peripheral frame and walls, said walls being spaced from each other and supported by said frame a filling of granular cork substantially filling v the space between said walls; and a sheet of cork insulation suspended from the top element of said frame and projecting downward into the granular cork over the entire width of the filled space and substantially to that depth beyond which the granular cork will not settle in use. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my 1 name to this specification.

JOSEPH L. ROSENMILLER. 

